blogging up a lung

It's that time again. Time to re-evaluate blogging as being anything more than an egomaniacal extension of our souless society.

Someone* recently left a comment on an entry that I had posted back in February of this year. Mystery Commenter makes a good point. I have attached the comment below for those of you who are curious. I especially like the line: "Just live in the vine, and go out and heal someone."

As much as I would like to defend blogging I can't help but admit that it made a lot more sense while I was overseas - it's purpose at that time being a way to keep in touch with friends and family back home. By this rational, A.J. and Alyn's blog and Nik and Thea's blog hold more value than, say, Kate or Andrew's because I see them all the time.

However, while Nik was still in the country I can remember reading posts of his that really, truly made me think and even change my opinion. And isn't that worth something? Both Angela and Shannon's blog have never failed to make me laugh...or, at very least, vow to hone my vocabulary and wit. Through my very own blogging experience I have made met the acquaintance of Mimo from Finland (who, following a various TACFers blogs, knew that A. and I were going to get together before we did), Nik and Thea have been made into low-grade e-stars through Shannon's readership, A.J. and Alyn announced that they are expecting a baby, my friend and the chaplain of Victoria University in B.C., Caron, has become a fan of Shannon's, and Pud gave A. and me something to discuss in length over the phone.

So I will continue to support blogging. However, as part of a low fat, balanced and health conscious blogging lifestyle I will adhere to the following self-imposed rules:

1. Post only that which I myself would want to read.
   
2. Take time and effort in constucting a post.
3. Visit my list of select blogs frequently to keep the blogging gears well-oiled.
4. Live in the vine, and go out and heal someone.

But don't get my started on MySpace...

Oh, and Kate and Paul's engagement photos have been put online. Enjoy.

* Really, does it matter who it is? Just read the comment.

*****************************************************

RodeoClown said...

Thank you Andrew for your deep thoughts on the matter. You make me largh too.

Sure blogging takes the place of conversations once made in person. Maybe the place of literary masterpieces that would have taken time, energy and discipline. Much like Michelangelo vs. ceiling tiles, or Mozart vs. "The Salads", "The Strokes", "The Spoons", "The White Stripes" and I'm sure; "The Lettuce".

I think worse than this, is the generation's tendency to look at their life from some image of a "larger perspective" (any good emo likes to dabble with this), and see that they are born so they can go to school, so they can get a job, so they can retire, so they can die. They read about DaVinci, Michelangelo, and Mozart while getting their necessary education, and see "life".

"This guy had accomplishments that people even now are talking about. DaVinci had a book of pictures of helicopters - maybe I can do that too. Maybe I can make a dent in the world. Maybe I'm worth something. Maybe I can have people talk about me years from now. Because right now - I'm not worth sh!t. I live, and I die. I need to scream my thoughts from rooftops; I need to get my word out there. I need to mean something, to someone - but even so - who are they, to be worth anything for me to care? When I die - I'm dead."

Now, depending on the person, the root isn't quite this well known. The world is set up according to "action/reaction" laws - and it doesn't matter on whether or not one sees the "action" - there's still a reaction. There are still countries under the poverty line whether or not you choose to go on a mission to see it, or not. There is a noise in the forest when a tree falls. You will still be producing rotten fruit, whether you realize a part of you is not in His perfect plan or not. Saving treasures where computer viruses and network crashes destroy? In the true eternal picture: who the crap really cares?

But who am I? I have rotten fruit; but I am not moved to make an entropic society. That is, after all, another law of nature.

“Hey, look at me, I posted my opinion on the inter-web!” Just live in the vine, and go out and heal someone. I’m tired of the noise.

soaked

Let's recap.

In the past few weeks, the following has occurred:

• September 5th: Am fired.
• September 7th: Cell phone dies.
• September 9th: Internet dies.
• September 13th: Offered job.
• September 15th: Accepted job.
• September 18th: Refused job.

Add to this adventure Kate and Paul's engagement, various parental issues, a scattered job hunt, the six-month mark with A. and me, a threat to be sued, three intensive counselling sessions, allergies, and a general mid-midlife crisis.

This weekend was a great conference at TACF Airport, aka: The Mothership. Listening to Heidi Baker on Saturday, as always, put things into perspective. She spoke on John 15: 1-8...

"He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful...Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me."

"Remain, remain, remain," she intimated during the evening service. "Why is that so difficult for the first world to understand?" It's true. I was just saying to A. on the phone the other day: I've traveled to India where I battled heat, exhaustion, illness, culture shock, and various other turmoils for three months...but the past three weeks have been more difficult by far. I can feel myself being s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d.

After significant downtime at the conference, and many more words of comfort from speakers, friends, and God, I felt nearly drunk with relaxation by the end of Saturday night. Not only that, but I feel as if the winds are changing...

I once again closed my eyes in hope, saying quietly to myself: "Tomorrow!"
- Andrea Giovene ("The Dilemma of Love")

down with emo

Ever have one of those moments when you're absolutely sure that everything's going to be OK? I had one of those moments this morning. I'm looking forward to having a lot more of those moments in the future.

sweet blogging freedom is mine!

The ability to comment has again been made available to me and I can't remember a time when I savoured it more. Nothing is quite as wonderful as being without something, and to have it returned.

In other, completely random, news, A. (as I refer to him in my journal, for time's sake...and it's grown on me) directed my attention to this post on Adele's (an e-friend by proxy) blog. Oh, how true. Please note the double-exclamatory statements made by both myself and A.

I went to an absolutely delectible evening last night at The Gladstone called The Haunted Fishtank, an introduction made through my friend Kylah. Poetry reading, guitar strumming...even some bizarre interpretive dance. It was like wine to my soul. In fact, it was wine to my stomach as well as the darling bartender, Kerry, brought two reds to our table - on the house.

le battement d'ailes du papillon

Which, in my botched OAC French level, I translate as "the war of the butterfly's garlic". I'm sure I'm mistaken. In any case, the movie might be recognized by it's English title, "Happenstance", starring that adorable Audrey Tautou from "Amelie" (one of my favourite movies of all time).

I watched it last night and enjoyed it thouroughly. After the movie was finished, the name of a good friend of mine from Korea popped into my mind and so, after over eight months being incommunicado, I composed him a quick email to see how things were (mostly asking whether or not he managed to pursue his dream of becoming a doctor, which we had discussed in length over the course of our friendship). This morning, and before I had a chance to send the email still waiting in my outbox, I received discovered this in my inbox:

Hey there, Its been a while, but i thought i should let you know, since you were the one who got me back on track that somehow i got accepted to medical school and i start in january. thanks again, and let me know what you are up to, i'd like to talk sometime. take care.

Serendipitous!

On Angela's blog she discusses how, due to a chance encounter downtown Toronto, our suspicions have been confirmed: "Everyone on the planet knows Kate and her family."

I like little things like this. The little chance encounters, the role of fate, the every day magic that keeps me wondering.

leap of faith

Sooo...it's back to the drawing board in terms of the job hunt.

Have you ever been watching a movie where the lead character is just about to make a decision that is so obviously not what they're supposed to do? I had this experience recently, watching "The Last Kiss" (starring Zack Graff), with Sarah Gaz, on Saturday. I was actually covering my mouth and squealing, "Nooooo...!" at the screen.

Have you ever had the sensation that you're the character in the movie - the one that other people are covering their mouths and squealing, "Nooooo...!" at? I had this experience last night, coming to terms that a job offer on the table, complete with cushy salary, might just be a twist in the plot. That the lack of sleep, disturbing dreams, and feeling of disappointment in the pit of my stomach might very well be the manifested "Nooooo...!" of my out-of-body self.

Of course, I could also have just made a ginormous mistake. But, for some reason, I was willing to take that chance. And you know what? I feel lighter already.

fie

Although Beta Blogger is making me want to punch babies, à la Dane Cook, because no one can comment on my blog and I am restrained from commenting on anyone else's, I will continue to post anyway. Thanks to those who continue to read despite torturing themselves with such limited commentary options...

*sigh* I should have thought twice before signing up for this "new and improved" blog upgrade. And I'm not the only one. [NOTE: strong language used...none of which is mine, but it very well could have been at this point]

I'll fire off some scathing emails today to see if I can't get those Blogspot goons to get on an antidote and you can post as an "anonymous" commenter and leave your name in the interim.